Two of 10 farm clusters involved with Extension 350 — a farmer-led programme designed to lift profitability, environmental sustainability and wellbeing on Northland farms — are now under way in the Far North.

The Ballance Farm Environment Awards recognise and celebrate good farming practices which promote sustainable land management. This year, the award was presented to a Kaipara family who have created a sustainable farming business through teamwork and long-term commitment.

Four southern farming and rural organisations have secured more than $1 million in project funding in the Ministry for Primary Industries’ latest $7.15 million sustainable farming fund grants writes Simon Hartley of the Otago Daily Times.

Even during rock bottom dairy payouts South Canterbury farmers Brendan and Katya Caird continued to make a profit, achieving a return on capital of 2.7 per cent in the 2015-16 season, when most other dairy farmers plunged into debt. The resilience of their low-input, pasture-based system was recognised with their coastal Seadown farm, north of Timaru, recording the best Canterbury performance in the Dairy Business of the Year awards.

South Island industries are urging the new Government to hear them out before finalising environmental policies they fear could cost the economy dearly.

In her speech at the opening of Parliament, Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy said there would be legally binding carbon emission targets, no new taxpayer money for irrigation, a shift towards "sustainable" farming such as forestry, and no new mines on conservation land.

“We are pleased to endorse the Dairy Declaration of Rotterdam as a signal of strong support for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and for the important role of the dairy sector in the global community’s efforts toward sustainable development,” says Kimberly Crewther, Executive Director of DCANZ.

The Government recently announced that it will increase its investment in the Sustainable Farming Fund by $13 million.

The Government’s investment in the fund will increase from $7 million to $20 million. This increase in investment is a far more effective approach to optimising the primary sector than the tax and punish policies of other political parties, according to Federated Farmers science spokesperson Guy Wigley.